This month’s “Dad of the Month” is a husband and father of two awesome boys. His “day job” is a TV and Film Editor. Some of his past projects have been “The Grey”, starring Liam Neeson, NBC’s “The Blacklist” Pilot, and NBC’s “State of Affairs.” And when he isn’t doing any television productions, he is spending all his free time on Fade Away Sleep Sounds.
I had the opportunity to connect with Kevin to get to know more about this great dad and his business, Fade Away Sleep Sounds.
- What does your company do?
“Fade Away Sleep Sounds is a white noise sleep aid company. The womb is a very noisy place, and for some babies, making that transition to sleeping in the quiet environment outside of the womb can be a challenging one. That’s why white noise has been so successful with the little ones. The sounds we provide are sounds that tend to replicate actual white noise in the respect that they are at a constant pitch, tone and level. They both re-create that womb-like sounds and they also act as a masking sound, blocking out other unwanted sounds. Also, most of our Baby Sleep Sounds were developed to take the place of items parents were already using to help get their children to sleep (i.e. hair dryer, washing machine, shower sounds, the sound of a car ride, etc.).”
“Originally our sounds catered to babies and their needs, but we have since expanded our library to include sleep and relaxation sounds for adults too. What makes Fade Away Sleep Sounds different is the slow, gradual fade to silence at the end of every track. It’s so slow you can’t even hear it happening, and before you know it, your baby (and you) are sleeping un-aided.”
- When did you start your business?
“My first experience with white noise was with my oldest child back in 2003, but Fade Away Sleep Sounds didn’t start until 2008.”
- How did you come up with the idea?
“As I mentioned, my first time using white noise was with my first child. He was a fussy sleeper, and my wife and I had heard a little about the benefits of white noise, so we decided to try it out on a particularly challenging evening. The sound that ended up working was running bath water. It was amazing how this nearly inconsolable little person quickly relaxed and calmed when he heard that sound. With our second child, it was very much the same, except the sound he responded to was the hair dryer. And with him the response was almost instant…it was almost like flipping a switch. When the hair dryer turned on, he turned off. It was amazing! It got to the point where we just kept the hair dryer under his crib. A few years later we were sharing our experiences with our friends, telling them how well white noise has worked for us. Since I worked in the broadcast industry, I had a lot of the equipment needed to professionally record and produce video and audio, so I decided to record a sound for them and put it on a CD. They loved it and soon after Fade Away Sleep Sounds was born!”
- How did you come up with the business name?
“We decided on Fade Away Sleep Sounds to highlight what was special and unique about us. If you’ve ever researched white noise companies, you’ll soon come to see that there are quite a few. However, none of them offered the slow fade to silence that we do, hence, “Fade Away” Sleep Sounds.”
- What do you hope your business accomplishes?
“I hope that if anything Fade Away Sleep Sounds can bring a little relief to babies and adults struggling with sleep. Sleep deprivation is a tough thing. If we can help in combating it, I think we will have accomplished just what we set out to do.”
- Where would you like to see your business in 5 years?
“Right now we’re the little business that could. There have been times when Fade Away Sleep Sounds took a back seat to my editing career, which really hurt its growth. Now I’m trying to take a more balanced approach with my career and Fade Away Sleep Sounds. I’d like to see our library of sounds grow and have us to be more top of mind with parents and other businesses. In five years, I can see Fade Away Sleep Sounds as a leader in the white noise industry and a partner with other sleep related and parenting companies.”
- As a busy working dad, how do you find the time to balance it all?
“Balance is the key. Yes, work and career is important, but it’s nothing compared to being part of your child’s life. My wife and I created routines in our household, and we make a concerted effort to stick to them. This means consistent meal times where we sit down as a family and consistent routines, such as bed time. I’m very connected to my calendar, so I schedule everything. I know when my kids have a concert or a soccer game and whenever possible I schedule everything around those family type events.”
- If someone is interested in purchasing from your company where can they go?
“I try to encourage everyone to go to our website at http://www.fadeawaysleepsounds.com/. That’s where you can find every sound we have, and where all our new sounds are released first. We even have free sounds available to people who register on our website. I’ve also tried very hard to make Fade Away Sleep Sounds available on most every digital platform as well. After our sounds have been released on our website, I then will start making the sounds available on all the other platforms out there, such as Spotify, iTunes, Amazon, Apple Music, etc. We are on most of the popular streaming and download sites.”
- Lastly, is there anything else that you would like our readers to know?
“I, and thousands of other parents, have had great success with white noise and have truly seen it benefit our kids. However, it’s not for everyone. I suggest testing white noise with your baby before buying a track from Fade Away Sleep Sounds or any other white noise company. Also, our Baby Sleep Sounds weren’t necessarily made to introduce to your baby, but to supplement the sounds you have already discovered work for your kids. So, if you know the hair dryer works for your baby, then go ahead and download our hair dryer tracks so you don’t wear out your own dryer. I also like to stress to parents not to play the sounds too loud. It is recommended that sounds for babies shouldn’t be any louder than 50 db. And the source of the sound shouldn’t be too close to the baby either. I suggest picking a sound level that is a close level to the actual sound…..so if someone is use to sleeping with a fan in their room, set the volume level to one that matches the actual fan.”
“We do have sounds that are more geared to adults too as I have mentioned earlier. While I think it’s great that the sound of a vacuum works well for a lot of babies, that’s the last thing I want to hear when I’m sleeping. That’s why we have other sounds like Rain Sounds, Thunder Storm Sounds, Ocean Roar, etc. I use those types of sounds all the time and love them!”
“Lastly, thank you for giving me the opportunity to talk about my company! I’m very proud of what it is and excited to see what it will become.”
Momma Braga is extremely proud to feature Kevin of Fade Away Sleep Sounds as this month’s “Dad of the Month” as he is such a humble, kind and is helping many babies (and parents) sleep better with the sounds he creates. What parent does not want better sleep?! I think we all do! This alone makes Kevin an awesome dad and our Dad of the Month.
Kevin is so awesome that he is giving us some free tracks to give away to our awesome readers. Make sure to follow Momma Braga on Facebook for contest details.
To follow Fade Away Sleep Sounds to see what they are up to, follow them on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube as I have a feeling there is more to come from them!
Thank you Kevin for your time and wishing you many years of success!
Until next time……Happy Parenting!
– Momma Braga
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